Burnette
A feminine diminutive form of the masculine French name Burnard, meaning dark brown.
Name Census estimates that about 323 living Americans carry the first name Burnette. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 76.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Burnette today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Burnette births was 1923 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Burnette. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Burnette is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Burnettes were born before 1962.
People living today
323
~ 1 in 1,061,159 Americans
Peak year
1923
35 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1961 SSA rank
#2,922
Tracked since 1906
Gender
Gender distribution for Burnette
Burnette is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 998 total registrations, 234 (23.4%) were male and 764 (76.6%) were female.
Burnette as a male name
- Ranked #2,922 in 1961
- 9 male births in 1961
- Peak: 1922 (13 births)
Burnette as a female name
- Ranked #7,150 in 1970
- 6 female births in 1970
- Peak: 1923 (29 births)
Popularity
Burnette: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Burnette from the 1900s through to the 1970s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 228 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Burnette by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Burnette during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Burnettes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 4 states and territories. Minnesota, South Carolina, Georgia recorded the most babies named Burnette, while North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 6 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Burnette
The given name Burnette has its origins in the English language, derived from the Old French word "brunet," which in turn came from the Vulgar Latin word "brunitus," meaning "brown" or "dark-haired." The name itself first appeared in England during the Middle Ages, likely as a descriptive nickname for someone with a darker complexion or hair color.
In the 13th century, the name Burnette was recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, England, which were administrative records that listed the names of landowners and tenants. One entry from 1273 mentions a "Burnettus le Taillur," indicating that the name was in use during this period.
Throughout the centuries, various historical records and documents have featured individuals with the name Burnette. For instance, in the 16th century, a man named John Burnette was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, England. He was born around 1520 and played an active role in the city's civic affairs.
Another notable figure was Thomas Burnette, an English clergyman who lived from 1635 to 1712. He served as the Dean of Peterborough Cathedral and was known for his scholarly works on theology and church history.
In the 18th century, Burnette de Visme was a French-born military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War. Born in 1756, he fought alongside the Continental Army and later settled in South Carolina, where he became a prominent landowner and planter.
Moving into the 19th century, William Burnette was an American politician and lawyer from Virginia. Born in 1815, he served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1853 to 1855.
One of the most famous individuals with the name Burnette was Harry Burnette, an American actor and comedian born in 1911. He appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout the mid-20th century, often portraying comedic supporting roles.
While the name Burnette has its roots in medieval England, it has been used across various cultures and regions over the centuries, often associated with individuals who made significant contributions in their respective fields.
People
Burnette + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Burnette as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with B
Other first names starting with B with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Burnette: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Burnette?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 323 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Burnette going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,061,159 US residents.
Is Burnette a common name?
We classify Burnette as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 998 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Burnette most popular?
The single biggest year for Burnette was 1923, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Burnette is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Burnette a female name?
Yes, 76.6% of people registered as Burnette in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.